


Is This Really Happening?

by Artemis_Egeria



Series: I Will See You Where the Shadow Ends [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), WandaVision - Fandom
Genre: Character Death Fix, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Headcanon, I swear on my life, Jewish Maximoff Family (Marvel), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Endgame, Preemptive Fix-It, WandaVision speculation, inspired by the WandaVision trailer, now very AU to what has occurred in Episodes 1-5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 13,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26599714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_Egeria/pseuds/Artemis_Egeria
Summary: The answer is: yes and no.Wanda is surprised to learn that she may be able to revive Vision. The only problem is that something (or someone) is seeking to take advantage of that and is coming to threaten their reunion. But Wanda and Vision have faced greater odds before. Maybe the power of love really can overcome everything.
Relationships: Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Series: I Will See You Where the Shadow Ends [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2195511
Comments: 59
Kudos: 65





	1. Hope Lives On

**Author's Note:**

> This story is in no way a prediction of what will happen in WandaVision, but I think it is fairly consistent with the official information we have so far and what we see in the trailer. It’s also an excuse to use some of my pet theories that I would like to see happen. 
> 
> Also, I don’t expect to be doing much editing. I just want to get this out there. My emotions are all over the place right now, so the writing may be as well.
> 
> Standard disclaimer that updates will likely be sporadic. My muse is incredibly fickle. I can’t promise that I will finish this before the series comes out (or ever, to be honest.) I will be as surprised as you to see how it turns out.

Wanda stared down at Vision’s gray, lifeless body.

She had given up hope. It hurt, but after Stark’s funeral, she had begun to move on. She filled her life with rebuilding this new world. It was lonely work, but she had Sam and Bucky with her to keep her going.

But then a call had come through to Avengers’ new headquarters in New York City. Vision’s body had been recovered and they believed that they could revive him. He was being held by a new agency created in the wake of the Snap, SWORD. No matter how much Wanda feared false hope, she couldn’t let Vision stay in the hands of soulless bureaucrats.

Now she was in front of him. He looked much the same as he had when Thanos choked the life out of him, but a layer of vibranium covered the hole in his forehead. The scientists explained that they had created several prototypes for a Soul Stone replacement, but they were uncertain of their effects. They wished for Wanda to make the attempt first.

The head scientist said, “We believe that with your powers, you might be able to unlock his memories.” He went on to tell her that Shuri had been able to save a copy of Vision’s consciousness and memories, but when they had installed the files in Vision’s head, nothing had happened.

Wanda ignored the scientific explanations. She was only interested in the part where they thought she could help. “I’ll try it.”

They ran some tests on her to get baselines of her measurements. They predicted that she would have to go deeper into his mind than she had ever attempted before. She was prepared to try anything if it could bring Vision back.

At the end of the first day, the scientists urged her to get a good night’s rest, so that they could start fresh in the morning. Wanda tried to follow their instructions, but to know avail. Memories of her time with Vision continuously played through her mind.

Still, she was ready to get started the following morning. They strapped her to a table, similar to the one Vision was lying on, and began to hook her up to the monitors. When they gave her the go ahead, Wanda reached out with her powers to enter Vision’s head.

Wanda gradually felt herself traveling deeper and deeper into Vision’s mind. The structures felt similar, but they were lacking the warmth and presence of her former connection with Vision. She forced herself to focus on the task at hand and not the past.

She finally reached a hard inner core in the very center of his head. She felt that so much lay beyond the inner walls, but she couldn’t penetrate them. Wanda ran her powers lightly over the surface to no avail. Something was missing. She knew she needed to break this seal to wake Vision up, but she could not find the key.

Wanda was about to take herself out of Vision’s head to regroup when she felt a burst of power and everything went dark.


	2. A Burst of Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new player joins the game.

Just as Maximoff’s vitals began to rise, they fell again.

The scientists were conferring with their charts when a burst of light that formed into the shape of woman landed in the middle of the lab. She yelled, “Stop!”

But it was too late. The yellow stone in her hand flew to Vision’s forehead. It immediately embedded itself in his synthetic skin. Red flowed outward from the stone, restoring his prior appearance.

They had no time to wonder about this before an enormous wave of energy knocked out all the power in the lab. It was several minutes before the power came back. The two prone figures remained utterly still. They almost seemed at peace, but a forcefield had formed around them.

The strange woman reached out to touch it and was knocked backward. She stood, studying the field with a frown.

Someone with presence of mind had called the acting director, who now arrived to question the woman. “What happened?”

“Nothing good.”

The director frowned at her. “Who are you? What do you mean ‘nothing good’?”

“I’m Monica. I was traveling through deep space when I across the Stone. Aunt Carol told me if I ever came across one to bring it to Stephen Strange on Earth. I was headed to the Sanctum, but something in the Stone pushed me here instead. And now it’s done something that I don’t understand.”

The director was new to his post and a little slow on the uptake. “‘Aunt Carol’ as in Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel?” He’d only heard rumors at his old post in S.H.I.E.L.D. All he knew was that she helped in the final battle for Earth and disappeared as quickly as she returned.

“Yes. Anyway, I have to go. Call Doctor Stephen Strange and Doctor Jane Foster immediately. They will have a better idea of what to do about this. I have to go do some researching of my own.”

The director recovered himself a bit. “Who are you to give me orders?”

Monica grinned at him before shifting into pure energy. “Call me ‘Spectrum.’ All you need to know is that your world just got even stranger.” With that, she was gone.

The director hated to admit it, but he knew when he was out of his depth. He sent one of his underlings to do as “Spectrum” commanded. Let someone else handle the inexplicable while he dealt with the mundane matters of keeping things on the ground under control.


	3. Welcome to Westview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda wakes up to a new life.

Wanda came to in a world that appeared to be moving. She gradually opened her eyes to find herself in the front seat of a car. It was rolling smoothly down a two-lane road.

Something else was odd. She blinked a few times to clear her vision, but the world remained in black and white. But after a few moments, she wondered why she questioned it. The world had always been like that.

She finally looked to the side. She was surprised at her own surprise. It was Vision. But, of course it was, he was her husband. They had just gotten married and they were driving to their new home.

Feeling her eyes on him, he glanced at her for only a moment before turning back carefully to the road. She could still see his smile. “Did you have a nice nap, my wife?”

“Yeah, just had a weird dream.”

“Well, we will be arriving home soon. Hopefully, there will be only good dreams there.”

“Yeah. Hopefully.” Wanda’s unease faded when they reached the development. The cheerful houses and their white picket fences, with happy children playing outside, were the perfect vision of peace.

When they pulled into their driveway, Vision rushed around to the passenger side to open the door for her. She shook her head, but she had to admit that she secretly loved his overly chivalrous ways. Without even unpacking the trunk, Vision removed the key to open the front door. Wanda prepared to enter, but Vision stopped her. “We have to do this properly.” His smile was blinding as he lifted her up into his arms and carried her across the threshold.

Wanda kissed him as soon as he set her down. He returned the gesture enthusiastically. They lost themselves for some time in the meeting of their lips and tongues. They finally broke apart so Wanda could take a breath. Vision pressed one more kiss to her forehead before going outside to collect their bags. They only brought enough to make themselves comfortable for the night. The rest of their things were to be brought over the next day.

Once they settled in and ate some leftovers from their simple wedding lunch earlier that day, Wanda used her powers and a flick of her hand to turn on some music. She and Vision danced around their new living room, happy to have some alone time. One song faded into the next as they twirled round and round. At one point, Vision swept her into a dip, kissing her passionately. It was a perfect start to the evening.

They danced through one more song. Now, Wanda was ready to move onto other wedding night activities. She kissed Vision gently on the mouth, drawing them to a stop. “Bed?”

His eyes went wide. “I would like that very much.” She led him up the stairs to their new bedroom. The door shut behind them with a satisfying click.


	4. A Strange Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doctor Strange and Jane Foster arrive to attempt to understand what is going on with Wanda and Vision.

Stephen Strange, Jane Foster, and Darcy Lewis arrived at S.W.O.R.D. headquarters a few hours after Monica left. The director led them straight to the room where Wanda and Vision lay. Strange frowned at the two sleeping figures, both of whom were smiling.

He cast his powers over the bodies, drawing figures of light over the forcefield.

Meanwhile, Jane set up her equipment, bags worth of equipment.

They were each lost in their own worlds for hours longer, using their own unique skills to study the problem. When they were both on the brink of collapsing, Darcy forced them to lie down on some cots that had been dragged in.

In the early morning, they found breakfast waiting for them. They ate a few bites before returning to work. Neither were inclined to chatter. They took extensive notes. They compiled their data. It was dinner time before they agreed to stop again.

Darcy finally pulled them out of the room and to a different section of headquarters. Dinner was prepared for them. All three of them sat down to eat a real meal.

After they had eaten, Strange broached the topic they were all there for. “What did your instruments record?”

“They recognized the signature of the Mind Stone. But there was something else there, something foreign. It was like no energy I’ve ever encountered since I started my studies.”

“I experienced the same phenomenon. The Mind Stone was drawn to Vision. But there was more. Wanda’s energy was already bound to him, but now there’s a sort of black smoke wrapped around both of them. I believe it was that entity that brought Monica here instead of straight to me.”

Jane considered the problem. Meanwhile, Darcy broke through, “So, we have to break them apart?”

Strange nodded gravely. “That would be the eventual goal. Whatever this unknown entity is, I do not believe it has good intentions toward Wanda and Vision, or humanity for that matter.”

“But we have to understand it more before we attempt anything,” Jane added.

“Agreed. I have some ideas, but I must return to the Sanctum to complete my research. Please remain here and monitor the situation.”

Jane nodded. Strange handed her a card. “I would advise against any direct contact with the forcefield. If anything unusual happens, call me immediately.”

“Good luck.”

“And to you as well.” He activated a portal and was gone.

Jane and Darcy continued to watch over the two serene figures. Jane almost hated to try to wake them. They looked as if they were in perfect bliss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't make any promises, but I think I might be able to finish this before WandaVision comes out. I plan to have about 20-22 chapters by the end.


	5. A Heart-felt Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda and Vision invite some of their new neighbors to dinner, but tension interrupts the evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not very familiar with classic sitcoms, so the tone and turns of phrase may be a bit off. But I tried to keep with the over-the-top tone of a lot of the footage we’ve seen from WandaVision so far. 
> 
> The dialogue in the dinner scene is mostly straight from the trailer.

The first weeks of married life agreed with Wanda and Vision. They enjoyed the new intimacy of living together. They were still in the honeymoon period, barely able to get enough of each other. Moreover, their neighbors were delightful. They were kind and welcoming, happy to bring the newlyweds into their community.

So, one night, they invited one of those couples, the Hearts, over for dinner.

Wanda’s powers made the set-up go by very quickly. She and Vision put the finishing touches on the table several minutes before the Hearts were due to arrive. Wanda couldn’t resist placing a kiss on her husband’s lips. He returned it enthusiastically, but he pulled away after only a few moments. “I appreciate the gesture, but you’ll ruin your lipstick.”

“Of course, silly me!” She levitated her lipstick and a compact toward her. She cleaned up the slight smudging and reapplied the color. Then, she looked to Vision and wiped the color away from his lips. He stared at her in complete adoration, and they almost forgot themselves again, but were interrupted by the doorbell.

Vision went to answer the door, but Wanda held him in place briefly. “Your face!”

“Ah, I’m a silly one as well.” He smiled as he adopted his human disguise while walking toward the front door. “Welcome to our home. Thank you very much for coming.”

The Hearts entered. Mrs. Heart carried an apple pie. “Thank you for inviting us.”

Wanda stepped up next to Vision. She took the pie and set it in the kitchen. “Thank you so much. This looks absolutely delicious!” She gestured toward the kitchen table. “Please, sit down. Dinner is ready.”

Wanda placed the pie in the kitchen for later. As she returned to the table, Vision pulled out a chair for her and pushed it in. Mrs. Heart clasped her hands in front of her, beaming at the two newlyweds. “I remember when Arthur used to do those things for me.” She gave him an exaggerated glare, and he raised his hands in surrender. “You two are just the cutest things ever!”

Wanda looked down at her lap as she placed her napkin there before glancing up at Vision. He smiled bashfully at her. “Thank you, Mrs. Heart.”

“Nonsense! Call me Susan.”

“Of course, Susan.” Vision smiled gently at her. They really needed to meet some new people. Vision did enjoy it so.

As they sat down to dinner, they turned to the local goings-on in the neighborhood, the weather, aand the excellence of Mrs. Smith’s roses.

Halfway through the meal, Susan’s mood turned. She began the usual interrogation that Wanda recognized from her own mother. The passing thought that she had no mother to interrogate struck her, but she ignored it. Of course, she had a mother, and a father. They attended her wedding.

“Where did you move from? How long have you been married, and why don’t you have children yet?”

Wanda began, “Our story…” She paused when she could not think of how they met. Flashes of a red men crouched in a cloud of fog, a tall glass tower, and an abandoned, ruined church came to mind. But that was not how it really happened. She looked down at her plate, blinking rapidly. Why couldn’t she answer this simple question?

Vision tried to cover for her. “I think what my wife means to say is that we moved from…” But she saw him undergo a similar struggle.

Mr. Heart took up his wife’s interrogation. “Moved from where? Married when?” Wanda jumped when he banged his fist on the table.

Susan had apparently had enough. “Arthur! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!” Wanda and Vision glanced at each other, both unable to say a word.

Susan finally looked to the hosts when her husband subsided. “You’ll have to forgive Arthur. He’s had a long, stressful day at the office.”

Vision said, “Of course, I know how it goes. I once knocked over the mailbox after a hard day.”

They all paused for a moment before laughing uproariously. Suddenly, the atmosphere returned to its earlier cheerfulness. “My silly husband,” Wanda muttered fondly.

“Guilty as charged.”

The break in the mood allowed Wanda to finally break from her mental blankness. “And to answer your question, we met when I was a nurse in the war. Victor was injured, and I was assigned to care for him.”

“Yes, and I may have malingered a bit because I wanted an excuse to continue seeing the prettiest nurse in the world every day.” The Hearts smiled indulgently at them.

“That’s lovely.” Susan clasped her hands together again, tears misting in her eyes.

Vision added, “We were married only two months ago, though.”

Arthur laughed. “You certainly took your time, young man.”

Vision bowed his head. “I did. I feared anything that might change our relationship. I feared she could not truly wish to marry me.”

Wanda shook her head. “I always say I married the silliest man alive, but I love him all the same.”

The rest of the evening passed without incident. They wished the Hearts a good night with many promises of doing this again soon. The Hearts said that they would host. Wanda and Vision tacitly agreed not to talk about what happened at dinner after their guests left.

Once Wanda and Vision had cleaned up and were settled in their beds, Wanda could not fall asleep. Vision was already resting peacefully with his eye mask, his hands folded outside the covers. She smiled a bit at that, but her worries ate through her reverie.

She did not want to disturb her husband, but she knew that he did not truly need sleep. Her concerns eventually won out over her urge to let him rest. “Vizh?”

“Yes, dear.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“About what?”

“With my life. I miss my life as a nurse. I want to help people, or do _something_.”

Vision finally sat up, removed his mask, and peered at her. “I did not realize you were dissatisfied with your current life.”

“I’m not, but I just need something to do while you go into the office all day.”

“Of course, dear. I will support what ever you want to do. We can start looking through the paper tomorrow.” He reached across the gap between their beds to hold her hand.

Wanda gripped it tightly. “Thank you, honey.”

“Sweet dreams, my love.”

“Have a good rest, darling.”

Vision quickly settled back into his resting pose. But, despite the assurances, Wanda still could not sleep. She tossed and turned. A voice whispered in the back of her mind, “ _You do not need a job. Your life is perfect as it is. Nothing has to change.”_

But she did need a purpose, a job. She missed her life outside the four walls of a house. The comfort of her new life could never satisfy her urge to do more. She knew she could help people. She knew that something in this life was terribly wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it’s not clear from the text, time is going by much more quickly in the sitcom world than in the real world. About two months have passed in the sitcom world, while only about two days passed in the real world. This will continue throughout.


	6. A Sudden Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something unusual happens in the lab where Jane is watching over Wanda and Vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! I know this one is even shorter than the others, but I'm happy that the plot is moving along. More changes to come in the next chapter.

Jane continued to study the sleeping figures. Nothing had changed for two days. She and Darcy took shifts, but neither had seen anything out of the ordinary. All of her instruments were steady, humming regularly.

She only turned her attention from her observations when Darcy rushed in. “Message for you, Jane.” She held out a piece of paper. It was from Monica.

_I’m in deep space trying to figure out what happened. Status report?_

Jane dashed off a quick response that there had been no real change. She handed the paper off to Darcy. There were instructions for how to reach Monica wherever she was.

After the brief excitement, Jane settled down to another stretch of silent watching. She was beginning to think that her time could be spent in better ways if someone else watched over the sleepers and alerted her of any new developments.

But she had had so little sleep over the last few days that she drifted off.

She was only awoken when Wanda began convulsing inside the forcefield. Beside her Vision’s body went absolutely rigid. They both wore grimaces of extreme pain. But just as soon as it had begun, they both relaxed again. They seemed serene and at peace once more.

Jane noted the events she could remember carefully, including the date and time and every minuscule change in their faces. She twirled Strange’s card, which she had kept next to her notebook, between her fingertips.

She considered calling him, but decided against it. The disruption had been momentary. It was nothing she could not handle. She would contact him if anything like it happened again.

What Jane did not notice was that the force field had expanded several inches toward her.


	7. Nothing Stays the Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda finds herself in a new world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still holding out hope that I can get this done before the first episode comes out, but we will see.

Wanda rose and walked downstairs. She made some coffee and oatmeal. She didn’t notice the changes in décor until she looked up from her mug. When she finally realized the differences, it shocked her.

There were plants that had not been there before. The wallpaper was different. Things were in color? But of course. The world was always colorful. Wanda held her head in her hands. This was all too much. Something was wrong. Something was out of place.

But that little voice in the back of her head whispered, _“This is normal. Ten years have passed. You redecorated years ago. You wake up like this every morning.”_

As the voice filtered into her mind, Wanda relaxed. Of course, the house should look like this. It was the year 1965. The previous year had been 1964. Everything was as it should be.

Eventually, Vision joined her downstairs. “Good morning, Sleepyhead!” She smiled broadly at him. “I’m not usually up before you.”

“My apologies. I was having a very odd dream.”

“Want to talk about it?”

He shook his head. “I seem to have forgotten it all now.”

She kissed his cheek. “If you remember, just say so.”

He nodded amiably and went outside to get the paper. She could hear him greeting the neighbors. She smiled. Everyone was so friendly. Though she did have a momentary thought that she had only ever met Susan and Arthur and Agnes and her friend. She shook her head. She was just having a moment of silliness. The other neighbors were James and Beth, John and Linda, Ralph and Samantha, among others. They were all good friends. All of them.

By the time Vision returned to the table, Wanda had forgotten what all the fuss was about. She made herself another cup of coffee while he read the paper.

Thankfully, Wanda was able to magic herself into a new set of clothes for her day at the factory or she would have been running dreadfully late. She was at the door with her things just as Agnes arrived at the door.

She blew a kiss at Vision, who was also ready to travel into the office. He caught it with a huge smile and made a show of tucking it into his pocket for later. They did not stop smiling at each other until Agnes snapped her fingers. “You two are just the cutest, but we have to be going before we get written up.”

Wanda followed her reluctantly. Vision left the house just behind them and got into the car.

Before she knew it the day was over and Agnes was dropping her off at home.

She entered the house to find her favorite paprikash cooking. She smiled adoringly at her husband. He welcomed her home with an indulgent kiss. They spoke about their days while Wanda ate.

When they retired to their bedroom, Wanda noted that they had a single queen bed, not two smaller ones. The same voice that she was growing quite familiar with whispered to her, _“You replaced those beds years ago. This is how your room should look.”_

She shook her head to clear it. “Is something wrong, dear?”

Wanda smiled at her husband again to reassure him. “No, of course not.” She pulled him into an embrace, and they sank down onto the bed together. She needed a good distraction from her thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more recent promo material and second trailer have made me doubt some of the ideas I already had planned, but I think I’m basically going to stick to it. This was never meant to be an absolute prediction, just one path that seemed plausible. But I do think I’m going to incorporate a few bits from the new stuff.


	8. Darkness Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team learns who is attempting to use Wanda and Vision's powers.

Stephen Strange abandoned his book, pressing his fingertips over his eyes. He had eliminated a number of possibilities for who might be manipulating Wanda and Vision’s powers. He had heard nothing from Dr. Foster. That was a comforting thought. Whatever was happening had not reached catastrophic levels yet.

His reassurance was short-lived.

No sooner had the thought occurred to him than Monica Rambeau was at the Sanctum’s doorstep.

“Welcome back. Any news?”

“Yes. And it’s nothing good.”

“I did not expect so. Tell me, please.”

“It’s Nyx, Queen of Night, enemy of the Olympians, born of eternal darkness. She wants to use Wanda and Vision’s combined powers to rewrite all of reality in her own image.”

“Ah, she was one of the candidates I was considering. I have not encountered her before. Do you have any ideas how to get rid of her?”

“Maybe, but I need to see them first. I don’t suppose you could open one of your handy portals, could you?” She grinned at him despite the heavy news.

“I believe I can arrange that,” Stephen said drily.

He activated the sling ring to bring them directly to Wanda and Vision’s room, but he was blocked. He frowned deeply and selected a nearby location within S.W.O.R.D. headquarters. They promptly ran into Jane and Darcy, Jane with a phone in hand. “Good! You’re here.”

“What’s going on?” Stephen surveyed their surroundings. The forcefield had expanded to take in the entire room. That explained why he could not transport them there directly.

“Wanda started convulsing about twelve hours ago. I considered contacting you, but it was over so quickly that I waited. The room shook and the forcefield expanded just a few minutes. It pushed Darcy and me into the hallway.”

Monica pushed forward to the edge of the forcefield. “This is getting worse too quickly. I’m going in.” She shifted into pure energy.

Stephen yelled, “Monica, wait!” But it was too late. She merged with the forcefield, slowly disappearing. Her body collapsed within the forcefield.

Stephen began pacing around the edge of the barrier. He hoped Monica would be able to bring back some answers.

***

The woman woke up in an empty field. She looked down to find herself wearing a tie-dye t-shirt and bell bottoms. She frowned. For some reason, she did not think she had been wearing those before. But her outfit faded into insignificance. She did not know anything about herself or even her own name, but she knew one critical thing.

She needed to find Wanda Maximoff as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nyx, the antagonist who has been whispering to Wanda throughout, is a comics villain. My choice of her as the antagonist was inspired by Avengers: No Road Home (2019). Full disclaimer: I did not read the whole series and am relying mostly on wikis for my knowledge of this character. Many liberties will be taken.


	9. The Perfect Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda feels a vague sense of dissatisfaction with her life, but a new development will absorb all her attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to anyone who celebrates. WandaVision is really getting close. I'm still gonna try to finish this first.

Wanda lay in bed beside her husband. She was happy, so happy. Their life was perfect. They had so much fun together. Their neighbors were wonderful people. They had truly become part of their community.

But, at the same time, she couldn’t help but go through everything that was missing.

Wanda had not seen Pietro for over a decade. He was always travelling too far away. And for some reason, she and Vision could never arrange a time to visit him. She had also not seen her parents since her hasty wedding ceremony. They had been there, hadn’t they?

Then, there was her job. She enjoyed chatting with the girls at the factory. And the days passed quickly. She could almost believe they hadn’t occurred at all. But it was just a job to while away the hours. It didn’t fill her with purpose or passion. She had considered leaving, but Agnes always encouraged her to stay.

The year was 1968. (Wasn’t it?) The world was in turmoil. Big changes were coming. But she felt like she was still living on the fringes. She hadn’t truly felt a part of the world at large since the war days. It was hard to believe that over twenty years had passed since then.

She and Vision had discussed having children. They both wanted it. But they didn’t know if it would be possible for them. They did have fun trying, though.

So far, no luck.

Wanda felt Vision’s arm move around her. “Good morning, darling.”

“Morning.”

“You are thinking hard this morning. Would you like to talk?”

“Not right now.”

He leaned down to kiss her cheek. “If you change your mind, you have only to say the word.”

“I know.”

Wanda forced herself to carry on with her day as usual. She did not want to dwell. She wanted to get on with her life and enjoy her marriage.

***

Wanda found herself in the living room. But everything was in black and white.

Wait!

The décor was the same as it was currently. Things were supposed to be in color. The world was always in color. An old memory from when they moved in struggled to the surface of her mind. The world was black and white then.

Just as she thought it, the familiar whisper began. _“You’re wrong. The world was always in color. This is just a dream.”_

Wanda always felt she should listen to the voice, though she wasn’t quite sure why.

Vision walked into the room. He was also in black and white. “Hello, darling. Did you have a good day at work?”

“Was I at work?”

“Yes, you were, dear. It’s five thirty. You must have just arrived home.”

Vision leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. She smiled, but was shocked when she felt a small kick against her stomach. She looked down to find it rounder than she was used to. The baby kicked again. Wanda put her hand to her abdomen. It was an odd sensation, but it also felt right. She felt another movement as waves of color rolled over her and Vision.

Once the whole house was bathed in every hue under the sun, the baby settled down.

Vision was looking around in wonder, as if seeing his red hand for the first time. “I think our little one inherited something from both of us.”

Vision beamed. It was the widest smile she had ever seen on his face. “That would make me the happiest person alive.” He moved closer and rested his hand on her stomach. “I love you both very much.”

“And we love you.”

The dream melted away. Wanda was in her and Vision’s bed like usual. Her husband was resting peacefully beside her. She placed a hand on his cheek. Even if they could not have everything they wanted, she could not ask for more.

But when Wanda sat up, she realized something from her dream had carried over. She stared down at her rounded stomach. She immediately shook Vision awake. “Vizh, I’m pregnant.”

He stared at her in obvious confusion. “Of course you are, dear. We just had your three months appointment two days ago.”

“How?”

“I do not know. Somehow your powers and my synthetic tissues combined to create a baby. I have decided not to question the origin too much. I am the happiest man alive.”

Looking at Vision, Wanda could forget her own unease. Something in his words was pulling at her. But she decided to follow his lead.

This was the best news ever. There was nothing to fear.


	10. A New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monica finds Wanda.

The woman sat on a park bench trying to gather her thoughts. Finding Wanda Maximoff was still all she knew.

Just as she was planning how to find her, a wave passed over her surroundings. Her tie-dye and denim transformed into a white shirt with a blue vest. She blinked several times. Nevermind, this was the outfit she had been wearing when she woke up in this world.

Minutes—or was it hours?—later, the woman was struggling with thoughts of how to find Wanda when the woman in question rode by on a tandem bicycle with a man who must be Vision. The woman did not give any more thought to what would happen next. She simply followed them.

She stopped outside a house with a white picket fence. The couple entered arm in arm, beaming at each other. The woman could see the curve of Wanda’s stomach. Was she supposed to be pregnant? She could not remember.

The woman staked out the house until the next day—or was it just an hour?—and tried to plan what to say to Wanda. When Vision left the house, she took her chance. She walked up and rang the doorbell as calmly as she could.

Wanda opened the door with a smile on her face. “Wanda, what’s up?” She tried to be cheerful. She wanted to put her at ease. She didn’t know much, but she knew she meant Wanda no harm. They were supposed to be on the same side.

Wanda’s smile sank into confusion, though. “Who are you? I haven’t met anyone new in the neighborhood for years.”

The woman could only be honest. Wanda’s question struck at the heart of her worries. She couldn’t stop her voice from quaking. “I-I don’t know.”

They stared at each other for a moment, until they both smiled once again. The woman almost felt like she was forced into it against her will. She had no idea who could be controlling her face like that. Wanda’s smile was also overly wide and cheery. “Well, come on in anyway. It’s always nice to have a new friend. Can I get you a drink?”

“No, thank you.” They sat down in the lounge. Now that she had found Wanda, she was completely unsure what to say next. She did not know why she had been in such a hurry. “How are you, Wanda?”

“I’m perfect. The twins will be along in a few months. Vizh and I are so happy.”

The woman looked around the house. Nothing seemed out of place. It truly did seem like the perfect place to raise a happy family. But then her eyes landed on the pictures of their life throughout the decades. Something shook loose in her mind at the sight. This was all wrong. They hadn’t aged a day.

“Wanda, what if you’re not supposed to be here?”

“What are you talking about? This is my home. Of course, I’m supposed to be here.”

“I don’t mean here in this house. I mean all of this.” Monica—her name was Monica and she was here on a mission—waved her hands around. “This world isn’t real. You have to wake up.”

Wanda bent protectively over her stomach. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but you’re no longer welcome here.”

Monica held out her hands placatingly. “I’m sorry, Wanda. I’m not trying to hurt you; I’m trying to help you. Someone is holding you here to use your and Vision’s powers. Please, just listen to me.”

Wanda’s eyes went distant, as if she was listening to someone else entirely. “Leave! Now.”

“No, I need you to listen to-.” Monica could say no more when a cloud of red, tinged with black, pushed her out of the house and all the way through the forcefield that shimmered around the town.

Monica returned to consciousness in a similar field to that in Westview, but this field was surrounded by S.W.O.R.D. agents with guns and tanks. She realized that the forcefield now encapsulated the entire headquarters, not just a room.

Stephen, Jane, Darcy, and a new face she didn’t recognize rushed toward her. Stephen asked, “Did you find her? Were you able to talk?”

“Yes and yes. I think she’s in deep. It’s going to take a lot to get her out.”

Stephen nodded. “Well, we will all turn our thoughts to a solution.”


	11. Birth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vision becomes increasingly convinced that something is wrong with their world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!!! Vision’s first POV chapter. We will see more from him in the second half of the story.

Vision returned from a long day at the office to see the last moments of Wanda repairing the walls of their house and their children’s future nursery. He ran to her, clutching her hands once she finished the project. “Wanda, darling! What happened?”

Wanda smiled at him. The expression unaccountably made Vision shiver, and not in the pleasant way he was used to. “It’s nothing to worry about, dear. There was a slight accident.”

“What kind of accident could have caused a hole in our house?”

“Just a little experiment gone wrong. Sit down and relax. I’m sure you had a long day.” Vision complied, letting her turn to more mundane matters of sharing her day and asking about his in turn. Vision could not shake the feeling that there was something very important she wasn’t telling him.

But try as he might, Vision could not get any more details from her. They sank into their bed after dinner and a quiet evening. Vision had the persistent sense that something had gone very wrong. But Wanda slept peacefully beside him. He found a restful state coming to him more and more easily as the years passed, but not this night.

***

A few weeks later, Vision was returning from work again when Wanda’s stomach knocked over a bowl of fruit. He gave no thought to his abilities; he simply sped toward her to prevent the objects from falling. She grinned at him, but Vision could only look at her stomach.

“Wanda, did you get bigger?”

She gave him a mock glare. “Now, Vizh, that’s no way to speak to lady who’s pregnant with your _two_ children.”

“Apologies, my dear. I just don’t believe your stomach extended as much this morning. But of course, how ever big it is, you remain absolutely ravishing.”

“Good save, husband.”

“I try.”

She chuckled and entered the kitchen to make dinner. She was apparently unconcerned about her rapidly expanding stomach. Her recent cravings in no way accounted for the growth. Vision once again found himself unable to rest that night.

***

What seemed like only a week later, Vision received a call at the office. It was Agnes. “Victor, Wanda’s in labor. You have to come to the hospital right away.”

Vision made a brief excuse to his boss and got into his car, barely able to think enough to put on a seatbelt and not phase through the contraption to fly to the hospital as he wished. But appearances had to be maintained.

After a far too long trip and finding Wanda’s room, Vision came face to face with his wife. She was holding Agnes’s hand, gritting her teeth around a contraction. When she saw him, she pushed Agnes out of the way, holding out her hand for him. He immediately cradled it in both of his. “Is there anything I can do for you, Wanda?”

“You can apologize for getting me into this situation.”

“Alas, I will never apologize for this. I am too grateful for our coming children. But you can try your best to break my hand in return.”

“You bet!”

They had completely forgotten that Agnes was still in the room until she cooed, “Still the cutest couple. I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll be in the waiting room if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Ag.”

“Anytime, Wands.”

Vision sat on the very edge of the bed with her. “Relax, my love. I am here. I will be with you until the end.”

It was then that another contraction shook her. She screamed as Vision almost felt his synthetic bones shift in his hands.

He blinked, and one squirming pink bundle was placed in his arms. He cradled the new being reverently. Looking to the side, he noted that Wanda was lying back against the pillows with a matching bundle in her arms.

Later that night, once the twins were sleeping peacefully, Vision would finally be able to consider how time had passed so quickly between her initial contractions and the healthy births.

Something was certainly very wrong here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WandaVision is getting so close now. I'm still not sure if that will give me more motivation to finish this or will make me too addled to write. But I'm still moving along right now. It's still looking like this will be 20-22 chapters.


	12. Running Out of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> S.W.O.R.D. is ramping up plans to attack the forcefield containing Wanda and Vision.

Monica sat in a tent that had been set up outside headquarters once it was no longer accessible. She had been introduced to Jimmy Woo, the new member of the team. After recounting her brief experience within the forcefield, they all sat together in thought for long silent moments.

Soon, Jimmy was called away to speak with one of his superiors. Those remaining, who were only adjacent to S.W.O.R.D., continued to ponder the problem.

Stephen finally spoke. “Thank you for proving that we can get inside, Monica.”

She grinned at him. “Even though you tried to stop me?”

“Although I typically prefer a more calculated approach, sometimes jumping in does bring results.”

“I don’t think it brought us too much.”

“Perhaps not, but it will give us a starting point.”

Jane returned to her instruments while Darcy sat observing everyone.

Some time later they broke to have dinner.

It was late at night before Jimmy summoned them all to the acting director’s office. He detailed a plan to shoot some explosives into the forcefield. Everyone else immediately took vehement exception to the plan. It was some minutes before Stephen was able to get a word in edgewise over the commotion.

“We cannot do that. Monica proved that we can reach them. I have developed a new plan to infiltrate the bubble. Dr. Foster has shown that the forcefield resonates at a unique frequency. I believe that if I send a message at the same frequency, it will reach Wanda and Vision. They are worth saving. And they are the only ones who can get us out of this situation without grave danger.”

“Fine. You have 72 hours. If you have no results by then, we go with my plan.” The director dismissed them with a simple wave of his hand.

Jane confronted Stephen as soon as they were out of earshot. “You never shared that with me. I’m willing to try it, but I’m not at all sure a message alone will get through.”

“Neither am I, but it bought us that much more time.” He could only hope it would be enough.


	13. Time Runs On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vision thinks about the problems in their world.

Vision watched his young sons playing with their small dog in the backyard. Nothing gave him more joy than observing his children learn and grow and play.

But those observations also showed him how wrong the world was.

He had heard it said, though he was not sure by whom, that your children’s lives go by in the blink of an eye. However, he did not think it was typically meant as literally as time seemed to go by here.

Vision had forced himself to ignore this fact over the decades (?) of his marriage to Wanda. But the children were positive proof that the world was going by too quickly. Wanda refused to recognize this fact, but he could deny it no longer.

When he called the boys inside to get ready for dinner, they ran upstairs in a cacophony of shouts and footsteps. Vision found Wanda in the kitchen. He embraced her from behind, swaying with her despite the lack of music. “Good afternoon, my love.”

“Hey, Vizh.”

He reluctantly let her go and helped prepare the meal. Once dinner was complete and the dishes were done, the boys sat at the table to complete their homework. Vision assisted them when requested.

Soon, it was time for the boys to go to bed, and the time that Vision had been anticipating and dreading has come. He was going to broach the subject of their world once more. He waited until they were comfortably lying in bed to speak. “Wanda,” he said.

“Vision.”

“There is something wrong here.”

Wanda immediately frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. “So you have said. But our life is perfect here. Why question it?”

“Because this is not how the world truly works. The boys are ten years old. I know this, but do you remember their seventh birthday or their eighth? Human memories fade, but mine do not. I have no explanation for these gaps.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She turned away from him and waved her hand to turn off the light. Vision lay in utter silence and stillness, but his mind raced on.

He tried to bring up the subject over the next several years. Wanda reacted more negatively every time. Still, Vision compiled his evidence and bided his time to find an opportunity to discover the truth.


	14. Sending a Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team sends a message to Wanda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WandaVision is here!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn’t get this finished before the first two episodes, but my new goal is to finish by the end of the series. It doesn’t matter too much, because I think the first two episodes blew up this idea. Now that the show is here, spoilers may slip in, but I will warn in the opening notes if that is the case.

Stephen, Jane, Monica, and Darcy stood around the monitors in the S.W.O.R.D. communications office. Having convinced the director to give them more time, they needed to reach Wanda. Stephen acutely wished that he had gotten to know Wanda better. He offered to teach her about the mystic arts when he had seen her vast potential. But she had refused his offer.

He should have tried harder to contact her in the few weeks since.

But he would remedy that lapse now.

They had decided to start with the simplest message they could think of, simply Wanda’s name.

Jane double and triple checked the frequency of the forcefield. They had attached a microphone to the edge of the barrier, relieved when it did not push back against them. She gave Stephen the go ahead. Stephen spoke into the microphone, repeating Wanda’s name several times.

Nothing happened. He did not know what he had expected. Either a miraculous awakening or an immediate reaction from Nyx?

The only thing that remained was to wait for some change from within the forcefield.


	15. A Special Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda and Vision celebrate amid growing tensions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Wanda’s POV for this one.

Wanda truly wished that Vision could accept their life. Instead, he questioned it more and more. If Wanda were being completely honest, the main reason for her upset was that he only highlighted the doubts that were already floating around her own mind.

But she chose to ignore her concerns.

Their sons were perfect. Their life was perfect. She finally had something good, something worth protecting. Hadn’t she felt enough pain in her life? Hadn’t she lost enough? Didn’t she deserve a break?

The now-constant whispering in the back of her mind pushed her thoughts in an ever darker direction. She found herself arguing with him, even though he made good points, even though his concerns were born from love. She was too harsh. She would apologize later, but her words became more cutting during every argument.

They were in a truce at the moment while they prepared for the boys’ b’nai mitzvah. This moment was too important to spoil with fighting.

When the day arrived, they both cried happy tears throughout the ceremony. She felt closer to her husband than she had in months (years?). At the end of the night, when they were exhausted from the wealth of emotions, they sat together long into the night. As they always used to do. The way they had fallen in love.

Wanda found the voice in the back of her mind growing quieter in the wake of this tender night.

Eventually she and Vision made it into their bedroom. They continued cuddling, holding each other against their fears.


	16. Waiting

Monica and Stephen took the first shift of waiting for some response to their message. After several hours, they were disappointed to see no change whatsoever.

Eventually, Darcy, Jane, and Jimmy took over the watch. Stephen and Monica settled down to fitful sleep.

After several more shifts, there was still no change.

Jane and Darcy recalibrated the machines for a second attempt. Maybe their first message hadn’t even gotten through. So they adjusted their message slightly. They explicitly called for a response.

It was a risk, but they were still running out of time. If S.W.O.R.D. took a more militaristic approach, Wanda and Vision’s lives could be in danger, and even more depending on how Nyx reacted.

Hours had passed, and their deadline was looming. They could not stop the rush of time, ever closing in on them.

But they were out of options until they learned something more from the inside.


	17. Confirmation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vision can no longer avoid the fact that something is terribly wrong in Westview.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Vision’s POV. We’re getting close to the part I never wanted to write, but I’m going to do it anyway. Part of this chapter is inspired by the most recent WandaVision trailer (but not the leaks). However, I’m still taking a different route than the show has so far.

Vision knocked on the boys’ doors to get them up for school. They were sixteen now, and it was becoming a monumental task to encourage them to rise early enough to consume an adequate breakfast to meet the nutritional needs of their growing minds and bodies.

Vision struggled not to think that it was a problem that they were still teenagers when it seemed that ten years had passed since they turned thirteen. Time moved on. It was the ‘90s now. Though he could not even recall which year.

He had learned to keep his doubts to himself, both because it minimized arguments with Wanda and his own mind could not reconcile these facts. He so wanted this to be real.

The boys finally gave him a grudging response, interrupting his thoughts, and he traveled down to the kitchen. A pan of eggs was scrambling itself on the stove while bacon bubbled in another pan. Wanda was levitating some plates to the kitchen table. They smiled at each other, and Vision leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“Ew, gross!” Tommy made an exaggerated show of covering his eyes.

Billy gave his twin a look. “Calm down. We’ve walked in on much worse.” Vision shook his head. Every interruption was ingrained in his memory banks. It had taken them a while to learn not to engage in amorous moments when the boys were nearby.

Tommy groaned even more loudly. “Why did you have to remind me? I won’t be able to eat now.”

“Wanna bet?” Billy levitated a piece of bacon toward Tommy, who immediately snatched it out of the air. Billy scoffed. “I thought so.”

Wanda clapped her hands together. “Okay, boys, you’ve had your fun. Now sit down and eat your breakfasts.” They complied and the whole family ate while Vision read the morning paper. He loved nothing more than this casual family time.

When they were done, Billy and Tommy ran upstairs to finish getting ready. They returned downstairs just as Vision was preparing a stern lecture on punctuality. “Have a good day at school, boys, and you may want to avert your eyes.” They both groaned again and ran toward the car. “Have a good day at work, Vizh.” She pulled him toward her for a better kiss than they could have with the children present.

“Thank you, darling. Enjoy your day as well.”

Vision dropped Billy and Tommy off at school and went into the office the same as always. He still worked at CSI, still processed the same forms. The technology had changed, but the job was essentially the same.

The day passed without any incident. He picked the twins up from school, and they entered the house. Wanda was watching daytime television, some talk show focused on the parentage of children.

Billy and Tommy went upstairs, he hoped to do their homework. Vision sat with Wanda for a time, and then they prepared dinner. The evening passed with answering a few questions for the boys’ homework and watching more television.

The boys had gone to bed, and Vision was going to suggest they do the same when the world seemed to shudder around them. Static formed and revealed a completely different living room. The wallpaper was peeling. There were holes in the walls. The furniture was threadbare and broken down. The image disappeared as soon as it had come.

“Wanda, what was that?”

Her expression was distant. She made no response. “Wanda, darling?” he tried again.

She seemed to come back to the present. “What, dear?”

“Did you truly not see what I saw?”

“No, I think I was dozing off. We should go to bed. Maybe we’ve just been watching too much television today.”

“Perhaps.”

They went upstairs. Vision just had to check on Billy and Tommy as they passed their rooms. Both were sleeping peacefully. Vision kept his sigh to himself. He didn’t know what else he expected.

Wanda went through her nighttime routine, and Vision tried to concentrate on his book. They gave each other a brief kiss goodnight. Wanda quickly fell into a deep sleep, judging by her breathing and vitals, but Vision could not rest.

When he was sure she would not notice his absence, he phased through the wall and took to the skies. It was late enough that he risked keeping his synthezoid form. He flew to the edge of town.

To his surprise, when he wandered around the edges for a time, he heard a vague sound coming from a short distance away. However, he could see no one. He walked forward to attempt to get closer, but he ran into a barrier. He stepped back a bit in shock.

But soon he heard another sound. He pressed forward again, putting both hands against the barrier. A blue energy field became visible all around him. He shuddered. This was the final straw. He knew something was wrong, but he had tried so hard to ignore it. But this, this was not normal.

A whole different level of not normal than the rest of his family’s lives.

Still, he pressed his ear against the barrier. Sounds came from beyond the barrier once more. This time they formed themselves into intelligible words. “Wanda! Come in, Wanda. Please talk to us. Give us some sign that you can hear.”

Vision backed away, his worst fears confirmed. Something was very wrong, and they were trying to reach Wanda. A small part of him was hurt that they didn’t even say his name, but he had more pressing concerns. He needed to talk to his wife right away.


	18. The Eleventh Hour

After their third attempt to reach Wanda, the team was struggling with what to do next. They were running even closer to the deadline now.

The director approached them that night. “You have one more day. Any progress?”

Darcy was the first to answer. “Absolutely.”

“And?”

“Wanda agreed to meet tomorrow afternoon.”

“She did? How?”

Jimmy picked up on the thread. “Telepathy.”

“Fine. But the plan still goes forward the day after tomorrow if I don’t see adequate results.” He walked away, putting his phone to his ear.

Stephen turned his glare on both Jimmy and Darcy. “Brilliant strategy. Until we have nothing to report later in the day.”

Darcy shrugged. “We only have a day left anyway. It got the director-man to go away.”

Jane nodded. “Then let’s try to make the best of the time we have.”

Monica led the way to her command tent. She had to believe that they would figure something out.


	19. We All Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The point of no return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Wanda again. Welcome to the angst.

Wanda woke up next to her husband as always. She kissed him on the cheek. He smiled at her, but it had a forced quality to it. She pondered that as she went about her usual routine of making breakfast for herself and the boys.

They had been getting along so well lately, but there was that strange moment last night. She hadn’t seen him look so concerned in years.

She pushed her worries aside when Billy and Tommy came down. She kissed each of their foreheads when she handed them their plates, despite their protests. Her precious boys.

Vision did not join them for breakfast. That was odd. There was scarcely a day where he did not sit with them as they ate. He never wasted an opportunity to enjoy family time.

She was just about to call for him when he entered the kitchen. “William, would you like to drive yourself and Thomas to school today?”

Billy’s brow furrowed. Wanda was sure that her expression matched his. What was Vision about today? “Sure, Dad, but why?”

“I have decided to take a rare day off. You have done well with our driving lessons, and I trust you to reach the school safely.”

“Cool, Dad. Thanks.” Billy and Tommy rushed outside with their school things.

Wanda waited until she was sure they were gone to confront her husband. “What’s going on with you today?”

“Something strange happened last night, and I must discuss it with you at once.” He reached for her hand, eyes full of love and concern and dread. It made something in Wanda go on high alert. Whatever he had to say was not good.

“Please sit down with me, my love.” She reluctantly followed him. He retained her hand as they sat together. His gaze was so intense that she had to look away. “Last night, I could not settle down to rest. So, I traveled to the edge of town.”

She finally looked at him directly once more. “Why?” Wanda could not help but interrupt. Why should he keep asking questions when they were so happy here?

“I have been trying to conceal my feelings from both you and myself for too long. I could not resist the mystery that I mentioned to you last night. So, I decided to see what I could learn about the town.”

“It’s just a town! Like any other.” She could hear the desperate whine in her voice.

“I want to believe that, darling, but I cannot any longer.” Wanda glared at him. _He’s looking for an excuse to leave you,_ the familiar voice whispered to her. No, that could not be true. Vision loved her. She knew it to the depths of her very soul. He loved his family.

When she said no more, he continued, “There is an odd barrier around the town. I touched it. I felt I could go through, but I was afraid. But there is someone on the other side trying to contact you.”

“What do you mean?” The voice in the back of her mind spoke more insistently than ever before. _He lies!_ No! Vision was many things, but he was not a liar. He would never lie to her about something as serious as this. _He lies, and he is betraying you. Those other people are only trying to hurt you. He’s working with them. He’s no longer on your side._

“There was a voice on the other side of the barrier. I want us to go and investigate.”

Wanda felt assailed on all sides. The voice continued murmuring about her husband’s treachery, while Vision was staring at her expectantly. “Why would we do that? Why would we risk leaving our children?”

“I have no intention of leaving. I only want to know the truth.”

“The truth is that I love you and you love me. We love our children. What more do we need to know?”

“We need to know whether this is all false.”

Wanda jumped up from the couch in her anger. “You think this is fake?”

Vision attempted to approach her, but she backed away further. “Wanda, I know our love for each other and our children is very real. But I am having doubts about our lives. Just think. The way time moves. The way no one new ever moves into town. The way we never meet any of Billy and Tommy’s friends. Something is wrong here.”

_Everybody leaves you._

“Why are you so eager to leave?”

“I am not. I want us to do this together.”

_He’s lying._

“You’re lying.” Wanda felt the beginnings of crimson energy flow into her fingertips.

“No, of course not.” He held out his hands in a would-be placating gesture. But she was in no mood now. “I just want us to investigate. Perhaps I am wrong. I would be happy to be wrong.”

She relaxed slightly, letting her power fizzle out. “So, let’s just stay home. We can pretend this never happened.” She slunk toward him and placed his hand on her chest. “Maybe we can spend some time in bed.”

Vision’s entire being looked pained, his face frozen in distress. “I cannot ignore this, Wanda. I need to investigate. I dearly hope that you will join me, but if you refuse, I must do it alone.”

“No.” She called up her powers once more, and used them to hold Vision in place. “Stay here. Stay with me.” She ignored his look of betrayal. She was doing this for his own good. She would never actually hurt the love of her life.

“I want nothing more than to stay here, but I must know the truth first.”

“No, you don’t.”

Vision began to struggle a bit against her power. “We will not agree on this point. Please just let me go. I will return as soon as I am able to.”

_He’s lying. He will turn you over to those who would destroy everything. Remember that other woman who tried to interfere._

“Wanda, please, let me go.” He stared at her pleadingly. “Please. I love you. We can talk about this.”

Wanda had heard enough. She didn’t know how she had been so blind all along. Vision would always choose duty over their family. “No. You’re either with me, or you’re against me. I will give you one more chance. If you agree to drop this for good, we can go back to normal. If you refuse, you have no place here.”

She ignored the huge wave of pain coming from him. “Wanda, my darling, my place is always with you. I have loved you for most of my life, and I always will. But I can no longer compromise on this point. I must go, only for a little while.”

With shaking hands, Wanda raised him into the air. “Then, goodbye, my love, I will always regret that we couldn’t stay together.” She ignored his continued pleas as she gave a mighty push to send him through the walls of the house all the way past the boundaries of the town.

When the job was done, Wanda collapsed in a sobbing heap. What had she done? _Only what was necessary._

***

Vision came to consciousness in a field ringed with tanks and soldiers. Three figures ran toward him amid the crowd.

An Asian man with dark hair peered down at him. “Vision?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s Wanda?”

Vision winced at the memory of their last conversation. “She is still inside. Do you know what is happening here?”

A taller man approached from the back of the group. Vision recognized Stephen Strange from the Avengers’ files. “We have some idea. Hopefully you can fill in the rest.”


	20. Preparations

Vision spent the rest of the day recounting the world inside Westview to Dr. Strange and people he was introduced to as Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, Jimmy Woo, and Monica Rambeau. Some he knew from old files; others he was unfamiliar with.

They regaled him from tales of outside Westview. He learned of Nyx, the goddess of primordial darkness. A number of things from over the years (or he supposed, only days) began to make much more sense. He knew now why Wanda was acting so strangely sometimes. Why she literally pushed him away.

They held the director of S.W.O.R.D. off as long as they could, but he finally insisted on interviewing Vision. Vision told him much the same story as he had told the others, but he found himself hiding details of Wanda’s mental state. He felt that he could not trust him to care about Wanda as a person, only what her powers could do.

When the director finally released him, he agreed to hold off any further action for one more day. Vision rejoined the others in a tent. They were all fighting sleep. Though Vision himself did not truly sleep, he did feel the exhaustion of the day’s events fall on him.

Monica brought him to a much smaller tent that had been set up for him. Vision lay down on the small cot. With access to the full world of the internet now that he was outside the bubble of Westview, Vision finally began to understand the extent of what he had missed.

Thanos’s successful Snap. Wanda and all his friends vanishing into dust.

Five whole years.

A small part of him could not help but be hurt that there was no record of any attempt to revive him. He knew that Shuri had saved all that she could from his consciousness and memory banks to the Wakandan mainframe. Bruce and Tony, who had helped create him, were spared by the Snap. Surely, they could have done something.

But he was saved from his melancholy by larger concerns. He had to reach Wanda. He had to get her out of there and away from the pernicious influence of Nyx.

Vision started by trying to reach out to Wanda’s mind. He probed gently, trying to get through the barrier around the town without awaking Nyx’s ire. But he had no success. A thick black fog wrapped itself tightly around Wanda’s mind. He let the project go for the time being.

He returned to his usual state of being when he heard the first stirrings of the camp around him. He found Dr. Foster and Dr. Lewis in the largest tent. They vaguely waved at him before immediately returning their full attention to the instruments before them. Dr. Foster thought out loud, “We’ll have to tell the director to move everyone back soon.”

That caught Vision’s attentions. “Forgive my ignorance, but may I ask why?”

“The energy field has been holding steady at a ten-mile diameter for a week, but it expanded from ten to eleven miles in the last hour.” Vision frowned. That did suggest increasing instability in the entire paradigm.

“Do you have any hypothesis as to what happens if the field collapses?”

“Unfortunately, not. I would give anything to have a plan.”

“As would I.” Stephen Strange entered. “We have tried many times to reach Wanda with no effect. I think it is time we broaden our horizons.”

Vision could only agree. Nyx’s power seemed to be strengthening with every day. They needed to do something to counter it directly.

But they also had to contend with director’s urge to focus on militaristic solutions. They tried to focus their energies on more likely ways to combat an ancient, cosmic entity. While also relocating the camp. By the end of the day the energy field had enlarged to almost fifteen miles in diameter. Even more concerning, it seemed to be fluctuating more and more as the day passed.

The director had had enough. He would grant no more delays. The tanks were being prepared, and orders were being shouted.

Vision and the team worked late into the night to avoid the inevitable, but the humans were reaching the end of their ropes. They finally settled down to sleep in their own tents.

Vision felt that he should be able to carry on, but the worry of the coming day was interfering with all his functions. Rest would be necessary before the day ahead.

Just as he was finally able to settle into a resting state, someone shook the flap on his tent. He rose immediately. Monica greeted him with a tired smile. “Come on. Someone just arrived that I think you’ll want to meet.”

All around them, soldiers were preparing to march and ride out. They needed to act quickly or this situation could turn very ugly indeed.

When they arrived at the main command tent, all the others, along with the director, were already gathered.

A woman Vision did not recognize was talking to Dr. Strange. He could only see her profile, but it did look somewhat familiar. She finally turned to the newcomers.

“Agnes?” How was that possible if Agnes was only part of Wanda and Nyx’s created world.

“Close, dear. It’s Agatha.” She must have seen his confusion because she continued, “Stephen has told me that you lived inside Nyx’s creation for a time.”

“Yes, and you are the very image of my wife…” He faltered. He supposed he and Wanda weren’t truly married. “My wife’s best friend.”

“Ah, that makes sense. Nyx needed a model to help Wanda build this world. She found it easier to connect with those who already had access to mystical forces. We have no time to waste. Let us prepare for the true battle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will never give up an opportunity to gripe about the Avengers not mentioning Vision once (at least as indicated onscreen) in the five years between IW and Endgame. I’m fully prepared to blame the writers and pretend that the characters did more in-universe, but still as far as we know as of episode 4 of WandaVision, they never made a single attempt to revive him despite how clearly they laid it out in IW.


	21. What More Do You Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda's world grows smaller and smaller.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to Wanda. No specific spoilers for the latest WandaVision episode, but it was definitely influenced by Episode 5.

When the boys arrived home from school, Wanda had pulled herself together. She greeted the boys with a smile that did not feel too pasted on. “Hello, Billy, Tommy. I know you’re getting too old for this, but please come give me a hug.” Wanda held her arms open. To her relief, the boys did not protest.

She placed her hands on the back of their heads. Only what was necessary.

Tommy pulled away as quickly as he could, “So, what’s for dinner?”

“Oh, you and your appetite!” Wanda laughed exaggeratedly. “Let’s order a pizza.”

“Yes!”

“On a school night?” Billy asked.

“Sure, why not. We can do whatever we want. There’s no harm to having something fun for dinner.”

“I guess not…” He trailed off. Wanda would have to keep an eye on him.

The pizza arrived within the advertised thirty-minute guarantee.

As they sat down to dinner, Wanda realized that she had forgotten a crucial detail in the new story she had constructed for the boys. She immediately transformed Vision’s chair into a soap bubble that popped. Shrinking the table just slightly, the three chairs seemed the perfect fit.

The twins did not question anything, and Wanda allowed herself a small sigh of relief. They engaged in mundane conversation about the school day and their plans for the weekend. She released them to their rooms for the usual homework routine.

When she said good night to them later that night, she returned to (their) _her_ room, with its too large bed and old pictures. She took care of that by doing a little redecorating. She swept the pictures away in a blaze of red. Then, she did to the bed what she had done to the table. That was better.

The next morning she made an even more elaborate breakfast than usual. Pancakes. Eggs. Bacon and sausage. The twins were thrilled when they saw the spread.

She waited until they were in the middle of their meals to drop the big news. “Guess what? You don’t have to go to school anymore.”

Tommy let out a whoop as soon as he swallowed, but Billy only looked at her. “Why not, mom?”

“Because I can teach you everything you need to know about your powers. Everything else you can learn online these days.”

“Won’t that take forever?” He pointed to the family computer, where the dial-up tone was pinging.

Wanda faltered. Why had she thought that would be so easy? She recovered herself. “Then, we’ll go to the library every day instead. The rest of the time I’ll teach you what I can.” Both teenagers agreed, but Billy still seemed troubled.

So, it continued day after day, week after week. The hours blurred together even more than they used to. Wanda and Billy and Tommy stayed in the house except for their daily trips to the library and weekly grocery runs.

One afternoon during a study break, Billy asked Wanda, “Mom, I haven’t seen any people in a long time. Where are they?”

“Just where they’ve always been, Billy. No one’s gone anywhere.”

“But why hasn’t anyone visited, not even Auntie Agnes?”

The truth was that Wanda could trust no one besides her family. She knew that now. She would never let anyone close to hurt them again. But she couldn’t be quite so honest yet. Maybe when the boys were older.

“I’m sure they’ve just been busy with their own lives. Why don’t we finish school for the day and practice our powers instead?” She relaxed when Billy let himself be distracted by trying to summon scarlet energy to his fingertips. Meanwhile, Tommy raced around them in a blur and practiced phasing his hand through various objects.

Several more years passed like that, balanced on a knife’s edge. But Wanda was happy. She had her children. They were all safe. If she often felt an ache deep in her chest that no one besides her husband could possibly fill, she ignored it. Billy and Tommy were the most important things in her life.

Then, came the day that Wanda had been dreading. Both her sons approached her about wanting to go off to college. “Why would you want to do that. It’s so nice here.”

She gestured to their sleek laptops and tablets. “We have the fastest 5G internet. You can do classes online.”

“But we want to meet new people,” Tommy whined. “We still haven’t seen anyone else in years. We love you, Mom, but we need to get away.”

Billy added, “We’ll come back whenever we can, Mom. We just want to have our own lives.”

Here it was. Even her sons wanted to leave her.

_You must not let them._ The voice that had been long dormant spoke to her again. _They belong with you. You are the only one who can keep them safe._

“I’m sorry, boys, but that’s out of the question. Now, study for your tests. I’ll give your exam tomorrow.” The boys complied for now, but Wanda could feel their mutiny rising under the surface.

They did not speak much for the rest of the day. Anger roiled in Wanda’s gut. She had given them absolutely perfect lives. Had they no gratitude? Had they no respect?

Wanda spent the rest of the night stewing in her emotions. Desperation. Loneliness. Grief. Rage. If this world was not enough for them, she would make a bigger one.

_Good. It is time._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have high hopes to be able to finish this before next Friday. Only about 2 to 4 chapters left.


	22. The Final Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the only part of the story that I didn’t really have planned out before this week. So it is even more heavily inspired by the show so far and the promos for the second half of the series.

Vision, Monica, Stephen, Agatha, Jane, Darcy, and Jimmy stood together in the moments before the soldiers were set to enter the forcefield. They were prepared to block the tanks’ path, but they could not count on the director to halt for them.

They had tried every argument to convince him to grant another delay. They knew mortal soldiers would do no good against the combined powers of Nyx and Wanda. It would likely only lead to a great deal of bloodshed.

But the director would not be swayed, no matter how much those far more expert in this area tried to correct him.

The dilemma was taken out of their hands when the forcefield shrank to a tiny circle in the distance and then rushed out to engulf the encampment.

When they blinked, their entire world had been transformed. The tanks had become civilian vehicles of all types. The standard issue military tents had become small bungalows. Uniforms had become 1950’s era dresses and trousers.

And, most notably, the entire world was in black and white.

Vision knew what he had to do. He trusted the others would wrangle the soldiers and develop a plan. But he had to find Wanda as soon as possible.

He made his through the streets of the town that were eerily similar to his memories of Westview early on in this simulation of reality. He retraced all his steps back to the same house they started this new life in.

At least the strange familiarity of the location helped him discover where Wanda might be.

When he reached their old house, Wanda was just finishing constructing a miniature forcefield around it. Wanda did not seem to immediately notice his presence, so he quickly veiled his thoughts.

Beside Wanda, Agnes stood, her demeanor completely different from what he was accustomed to. “Don’t worry. This will protect your boys until we make the outside world safe.”

He could see Wanda nod as she finished the energy field with a few flicks of her wrists, but he desperately wished to see her face.

When he got his wish, Vision was sorry he had. She looked so afraid. Then, her eyes settled on him. He saw the split-second flash of joy before it was covered by a mask of suspicion. But it gave him hope to move forward.

“Wanda, please, talk to me. This world is not real. Let me explain what is really happening here.”

Agnes glared at him, and Vision realized this was no longer Wanda’s mortal best friend. He could feel the cosmic weight of her hatred. “He lies! You cannot trust a word he says.”

Vision did his best to ignore her, focusing solely on Wanda. “I have never lied to you. You have been my best friend since my creation. Even when we have disagreed in the past, I never told an untruth. I have trusted you with the absolute truth of my being.”

Wanda’s gaze wavered between Vision and Agnes. He could feel that she had not changed her mind. “I believe you, Vizh, but it doesn’t matter anymore. I have my family, and I’m going to keep them safe.” She glanced at Agnes once more, but stepped toward him with an outstretched hand. “I want you to join us again. I’m sorry I pushed you out.”

He tentatively stepped toward her as well. “Wanda, I cannot. Nothing has changed. This is not real. Please.”

Her face collapsed into a scowl. “No!” Agnes clapped her hands in triumph. “Stop. Just stop. Those are our sons inside. How could you deny them?”

“Wanda, look inside my head. You know it pains me to do so, but they are not real either. Think. What year were they born? How old are they now? Do you know the answer to any part of their history? I know we loved them. The love was very real, but it is still all an illusion.”

“Be quiet!”

Wanda sank to the ground, clutching her head. “Just make it stop.”

Agnes leaned down to place a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, dear. I’ll make it stop.”

Vision braced himself as Nyx released the full might of her power on him through Agnes’s body. Black smoke curled around his limbs and dragged him to the ground. He could feel his memories being whited out. He could feel his consciousness abandoning him. It was all melting away.

Black and white was filling his whole mind. A tale of fighting in World War II, of meeting a pretty nurse, of building a family with her.

But part of him resisted. Nyx had forced him to transform into his human disguise, but he fought against it with every ounce of will that remained within him. Wanda finally looked up at the shout of pain he could not hold back.

Wanda frowned at his human face. “What are you doing?” The question was not directed at him.

“Giving you everything you want. You can go back to when you were happy. But this time no troubles from not being purely human. No powers to hide, no robot husband to masquerade as a human man.”

“He’s not a robot.”

Nyx laughed it off, but the mood was shifting. Vision continued to try to resume his synthezoid form while she was distracted. “Robot, android, synthezoid, same difference.” She waved her hands in a would-be nonchalant gesture.

“No. Vision is a person, first and always. Now, Let him go.”

“But you said you wanted him with you. I’m giving you exactly what you want.”

Nyx’s grip was loosening, but Vision shifted his efforts to maintaining his strength, instead of his outward appearance. “Not like this.” She turned to him again. “You would never lie about something like this, and you’re rarely wrong.”

“Wanda, listen to me! You deserve to forget your troubles. You deserve a happy life.”

Wanda closed her eyes for a long moment. She bowed her head. Vision wanted to reach out to her, but this decision had to come from inside her. When she opened her eyes once more, she immediately rose to her full height and higher. Crimson energy swirled around her. “Maybe. But,” she looked to Vision, who realized he was released from his human disguise, “I want it to be real.” She focused her full glare on Nyx. “And what happens to my power if I just grow old in the 1950s?”

“I can channel it for you.”

A weighty pause descended between the three of them. Vision hardly dared to hope that Wanda was really free. “You mean you can take it from me.” Without warning, she flew toward Nyx and grasped her temples. “Ah, I see. I’ve been so wrong. How did miss that? You always wanted to rewrite reality for your own ends. Well, I am no one’s pawn or experiment, now.”

She held Nyx still. Meanwhile, she pushed outward with a burst of red energy. All around them, the blue sky returned, and the camp was restored. “Noooooooooooooo!” Nyx’s squeal filled the air.

But not for long. Wanda’s power engulfed her, and she shrank and shrank until she disappeared.

Wanda lowered herself to the ground. They ran to each other. Even though it had only been two days, he was grateful to have her in his arms again. “What did you do to her?”

“I don’t really know. I just thought about making her go away, and she slowly disappeared.”

Behind them, a voice said, “Not forever, I’m afraid, but it’s a start. Thank you, Wanda. Well done.”

Wanda and Vision remained holding each other loosely as they turned to Stephen Strange. “Agatha and I were just coming to help, but I see you don’t need it.”

Wanda did a double take upon seeing Agatha. She smiled gently at her. “Do not worry. My name is Agatha, not Agnes. Vision will explain everything.”

Wanda smiled up at him, and he tightened his arms around her. “I’m sure he will.”

The others returned to the main tent to calm the director and organize the de-escalation of military force.

Vision was about to begin his explanation when Wanda abruptly pulled away. He ached at the panic in her expression. “Wait! You’re still here. Is it really you?”

“Yes, my love.” He gathered her back into his arms, lowering them both to a more comfortable position on the ground. “It is really me. It is a long story, but I would love nothing more than to tell you the entire story.”

She reached up to touch his cheek. “I want nothing more than to hear it.” He opened his mouth to begin when Wanda shook her head and touched his lips. “But one thing first…”


	23. Healing

Cleaning up the aftermath of Vision’s revival and the subsequent trouble took some weeks. Vision was welcomed warmly back into the Avengers. Wanda took the offer to return as well. There were better ways to make the world safe in reality.

When they were finally released and free to travel, they immediately set off for a remote tropical island. There was much they needed to discuss.

But there was no reason they could not do so in a beautiful location.

So they relaxed, perhaps for the first time since Wanda’s early childhood and Vision’s creation. They talked about what their traipsing through suburbia showed them about themselves and their relationship.

They were finally able to talk seriously with no interruptions. But interspersed with splashes in the ocean, cuddles on the sand, and much needed catching up on lost time.

They talked about their desire for children, which they had barely acknowledged to themselves, let alone each other. Vision told Wanda of Agatha’s theory that Nyx needed to base her reality on real people to maintain the illusion. They discussed whether they would wish to try to have their own children.

And they just enjoyed their time together alone. Their friends had promised them not to call unless it was an absolute emergency. Time was the best luxury that they had never had.

Several months passed in this blissful haze. Their time alone proved that it could heal most wounds.

Refreshed and strengthened, they were finally able to take their proper place in the world once more.


	24. Post-Credits Scene

Wanda and Vision stood in the nondescript neighborhood, at what they judged was the limit of Agatha’s magical abilities. “Are you certain about this, Wanda?”

“Yes.” She smiled up at him, though fine lines bunched around her eyes. “You?”

“Oh, yes. I must find out if our hypothesis can be proven correct.”

“Then let’s go.” They flew toward their destination and landed on the front porch.

Agatha opened the door just as Wanda was about to knock. “Welcome. I have been expecting you two. Would you like to come in?” Wanda and Vision glanced at each other, silently communicating all the while.

“Yes, thank you for the invitation,” Vision said quietly. They were ready for this.

Wanda nodded. “Stephen told us you could help us find our sons.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another WIP is completed! A rushed ending, but I really wanted to finish it before the next episode.


End file.
